Ibrahimsavourshisfreedom
AFTER four hard years in Egyptian jails, Dubliner Ibrahim Halawa is fulsome in his praise of the people of Wexford - his adopted home - who helped secure his release.
Ibrahim arrived in the town late one recent Tuesday night, where he had a date to launch the Amnesty International screening of the documentary ‘Clash’ at Wexford Arts Centre.
The film is set around the turmoil that followed the ousting of former president Morsi from power, which saw thousands of people, including him arrested.
Some of those arrested at that time are still in jail accused of being members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood.
Ibrahim had faced death by hanging on charges that ranged from inciting violence to murder, but was acquitted in October after being held in several detention centres and following a long campaign for his freedom, which had widespread backing in Ireland and in Wexford in particular.
There was no apology from the Egyptian state for the four years they had robbed from him, which had denied his family from seing him grow from a teenager into a young man. Arrested when he was just 17, Ibrahim turned 22 last Wednesday.
Trish Robinson, from Amnesty in Wexford, said it was perhaps a blessing that Ibrahim missed the film which she described as harrowing, with images of people being thrown into the backs of police vans as they were rounded up by Egyptian security forces.
Ibrahim had planned to be in Wexford hours earlier, but an invitation to Government Buildings and Leinster House by the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, whom Ibrahim says was a prime mover in him winning his freedom, and Minister Katherine Zappone proved irresistible.
Ms Zappone had invited Ibrahim and sister Nosayba to meet politicians who supported the campaign to free him.
‘At every stage of their visit to the Dail, Ibrahim and his sister expressed their huge thanks to the people of Ireland, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the politicians who worked for his freedom,’ said the Minister.
Hours later in Wexford, Trish and Lorraine Smyth, from Amnesty in Wexford, were in the welcome party at Clayton Whites to meet Ibrahim when he arrived at around 11 p.m. following the meet and greet in the corridors of power.
‘It was like we had always known him,’ said Trish during an interview with Ibrahim by this newspaper the following morning.
Ibrahim said that until you had been locked away from your loved ones, you would never know just how much it meant to receive support and that he had received from Wexford has helped him through some very dark times.
‘ The backing was essential to keep me going and to keep my family going and to be here is fantastic,’ he said.
Eloquent and personable, Ibrahim said he hoped to campaign for human rights and for the rights of prisoners throughout the world, his unique perspective providing a window into a hidden world of abuse and torture, which he had experienced at first hand.
‘ There are a lot of people around the world who need help, many in prison away from their families.
‘And I would also like to help the homeless here at home in Ireland. I have some ideas, but I don’t to talk publicly about them yet,’ he said.
Another aspect of his imprisonment is that it cut short his education. At the time of his arrest Ibrahim was planning to become an engineer, but is instead heading to college next year to study for a degree in IT and business, a career path that will help him get his message out.
Asked whether he felt bitter at his fate, his years locked up for crimes he did not commit, he is remarkably accepting.
‘ They took four years of my life, but gave me four years of experience,’ he said, ‘I did need to see that side of the violation of human rights to understand it.’
Ibrahim believes that the change of Taoiseach made a huge difference to his cause when he was in jail and things really began moving after Leo Varadkar took over.
‘He did a lot to help me,’ he said.
A few days before his trip to Wexford, Ibrahim denied any connections with extremism and the Muslim Brotherhood.
‘I don’t support the Muslim Brotherhood, I don’t support their ideology.. as a 17 year old you don’t even know what a Muslim Brotherhood is. You don’t know what an organisation is basically other than a human rights organisation.’
Ibrahim said he still wasn’t used to being free and it still felt somewhat surreal.
He said he read a lot in prison after his going on hunger strike forced the authorities to allow him books and books such as Nelson Mandela’s ‘Long Walk to Freedom’ inspired him.
But it was primarily support from his family, support from the people of Ireland, support from the people of Wexford and an Irish government that determined to press his case, that led to freedom and he was savouring every minute during his visit to the town that adopted him.
Ibrahim’s father, Sheikh Hussein Halawa, is the Imam of the Clonskeagh mosque in Dublin.
* Meanwhile Amnesty Interational is asking people to join their Write for Rights campaign to help free people from human rights abuses throughout the world.
You can read about the people Amnesty is fighting for at www.amnesty.org/writeforrights.
Your letters, words and actions will put pressure on decision-makers to take immediate action. With your help, governments will be held to account. Prisoners of conscience will be released.